<p>Questions courtesy of the author</p>
<ol>
<li>The Jewish community in this novel is like many across America. How might the aftermath of October 7 have affected the synagogue as a community, either immediately or in the months that followed? What about the Multifaith Coalition? Why?</li>
<li>What about effects on the individual characters? Who may have been most changed by October 7? Why?</li>
<li>Will key relationships in the novel be altered dramatically by the events in Israel and Palestine? For instance, Rabbi Adinah andSana — will they stay close? How about Theo and Celia — will they take sides? Agree or disagree? Bond or be pulled apart?</li>
<li>The rabbi is accused by some members of her congregation of caring more about Muslims than about her fellow Jews. Is that accusation accurate? Why do you think the rabbi feels so close to Fami? To Imam Abdul? Why is it that she often feels more at ease working with the Multifaith Coalition than with members of her own synagogue community?</li>
<li>How would you characterize Rabbi Adinah’s view of Israel? How does it coincide with other characters’ perceptions or attitudes? How does it differ?</li>
<li>The Hebrew Learning Center is based on the premise that language is the key to cultural identity. Do you agree? Why or why not?</li>
<li>How does the story of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of four kingdoms relate to the themes of the novel? Rabbi Adinah sometimes thinks of her own realm as a “kingdom”; at the tashlikh ceremony she reflects, “The kingdom was truly immense, wasn’t it?” What does this concept of a “kingdom” mean to the rabbi, and how does it influence the way she leads her congregation? In what ways is the “kingdom” of the novel America? Jewish America? Judaism? Israel?</li>
<li>Several characters in the novel advocate for justice in the case of Fami’s attack, but not all of them agree what that justice looks like. What are some of the different approaches to justice presented in the novel? What does Yaacov mean when he says, of restorative justice, it’s like gaining a third eye?</li>
<li>How does the story of Cain and Abel relate to the themes of the novel? What are the various ways characters interpret Cain’s question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Did any of the interpretations surprise you? Why?</li>
<li>Epigenetics, the subject of Steve Flemm’s fictitious book in the novel, examines how environmental factors like traumainfluence genes and how such genetic changes can be passed down to subsequent generations. How does trauma — inherited, personal, or societal — affect various characters’ behaviors in the novel? How does inherited trauma affect the community of the synagogue as a whole? Do you think the concept illuminates the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East and the international response to the events of October 7?</li>
<li>Are there any heroes in this novel? If so, who are they?</li>
<li>Which character do you relate to the most, if any? Why?</li></ol>
